________________________________________Chairman
Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, and Members of the
Committee; thank you for the opportunity to testify today
about international efforts to support the United Nations
(UN) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) in the complete and verifiable elimination of
the Syrian chemical weapons program. While we have made
important progress in the past months toward the elimination
of Syria’s chemicals weapons program, considerable work
remains to be done to ensure the Asad regime can never again
use these terrible weapons against its own people, or
threaten our regional and international partners with
them.

Just last year, the regime did not even publicly
acknowledge that it possessed chemical weapons, despite
having used them on multiple occasions, including in attacks
that killed over 1,400 people. Today, OPCW inspectors on the
ground in Syria, with UN support, have conducted full
inspections of Syria’s declared chemical weapons-related
sites, and have verified the functional destruction of the
chemical weapons production, mixing, and filling equipment
at those sites. In addition, as of today, more than 49
percent of Syria’s declared chemical weapons materials
slated for destruction outside of Syria have been removed,
including all of Syria’s declared sulfur mustard agent,
and the OPCW has verified the destruction in Syria of 93
percent of Syria’s declared isopropanol, a binary
component of the nerve agent sarin. But that’s not good
enough. Syria has yet to remove 65 percent of its most
dangerous (Priority 1) declared chemicals. We must continue
to work with the international community to maintain
pressure on the Asad regime to remove all of these chemicals
as urgently as possible.

The international community has
established a firm legal framework, through UN Security
Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2118 and decisions of the OPCW
Executive Council, to ensure that this immense undertaking
is completed in a transparent, expeditious, and verifiable
manner, with a target for destroying all of Syria’s
declared chemicals by June 30 of this year.The progress
made in the past months has been achieved by diplomacy
backed by a willingness to use military force. It remains
critically important, as this process continues, that
members of the international community continue to monitor
closely the Syrian regime’s compliance with its Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC)-related obligations. Syria’s
obligations are clear, and we will continue to underscore
the importance of the Asad regime’s continued cooperation.
The Security Council decided in UNSCR 2118 to impose Chapter
VII measures in the event of non-compliance with the
resolution.

While we have made progress, the task before
us remains considerable. After months of Syrian foot
dragging, we have made clear to the Asad regime that the
internationally agreed upon schedule for chemical weapons
destruction is simply not up for negotiation; the regime has
all the equipment that it needs and has run out of excuses.
We remain focused on underscoring the need for Syria to move
forward rapidly with transporting chemical weapons materials
to the port of Latakia for removal, consistent with its
responsibilities under the CWC and UNSCR 2118. The next few
weeks are critical in the removal effort, and we and the
rest of the world are watching. We have, of course, also
been in contact with Syrian opposition leaders, updating
them throughout this process, and confirming their
commitment that they will not interfere with the activities
of the international elimination effort.

With the
continuing support of the international community, and the
dedicated commitment of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission, we
believe the Syrians are capable of completing the removal
effort by late April. The international community continues
to work toward the June 30 target date for the complete
elimination of the program. While Syrian delays have placed
that timeline in some danger, we continue to believe they
remain achievable.

The path ahead is not an easy one.
Syria has missed several intermediate target dates,
including most recently the target date for the destruction
of chemical weapons production facilities. The regime must
meet all chemical weapons destruction obligations, including
for the physical destruction of chemical weapons production
facilities, consistent with the CWC. The OPCW is currently
advising Syria on an appropriate facilities destruction
plan. It is essential that Syria accept its recommendations,
and submit a revised facilities destruction plan for
consideration by the OPCW Executive Council at its next
scheduled meeting.

The United States and the international
community have provided extensive assistance to the
international effort to eliminate the Syrian chemical
weapons program. There are no more excuses on the part of
the Asad regime for not meeting the agreed timeline. We
continue to encourage all countries to make whatever
contribution they can to this important undertaking –
whether that contribution is financial, technical, or
in-kind – to enable the OPCW and UN to complete their
missions. The United States has led by example in providing
tens of millions of dollars in assistance to the OPCW-UN
Joint Mission, including the provision of containers,
trucks, forklifts and other materials necessary for the safe
transportation of chemical weapons materials in Syria. The
State Department’s Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund
has provided eight million dollars in financial and in-kind
assistance to the OPCW inspection team, including armored
vehicles, training, protective equipment, and medical
countermeasures. Most significantly, the United States is
also contributing unique capabilities to the elimination
effort through the Department of Defense’s provision of a
U.S. vessel, the Motor Vessel (M/V) Cape Ray, equipped with
deployable hydrolysis technology to neutralize at sea
Syria’s highest priority chemical weapons materials
(sulfur mustard agent and the sarin precursor chemical,
DF).

While U.S. contributions to the elimination efforts
are significant, this is ultimately a mission that reflects
a remarkable international division of labor. Many of our
international partners are participating and providing
financial and in-kind assistance that is critical to the
effort’s success: Danish and Norwegian ships (with Finnish
and British support) are removing chemical weapons materials
from the Syrian port of Latakia. Russia and China are
assisting with security in Syrian territorial waters for the
port loading operations. Italy has agreed to provide a
portto allow transloading operations from the Danish
cargo ship to the Cape Ray. The United Kingdom has agreed to
destroy nerve agent precursor chemicals through commercial
incineration. Germany has agreed to destroy the by-product
resulting from neutralization of the sulfur mustard agent
aboard the M/V Cape Ray as an in-kind contribution.
Countries like Japan, Canada, the European Union and many
other states have made generous financial contributions.
Companies in the United States and Finland have been awarded
contracts from the OPCW for the destruction of the remaining
materials.

As the removal and elimination process
continues, we will also continue to fully support the
OPCW’s verification and inspection efforts, to ensure the
accuracy and completeness of Syria’s declaration. We have
never taken the Asad regime at its word, and will continue
to press for a robust verification regime to ensure the
absence of undeclared materials and facilities. We approach
this process with our eyes wide open, and will insist on
international verification.

The path ahead will not be
smooth, given the unprecedented scope and timeline for the
mission. But we remain resolute in addressing these
challenges, given the high stakes for the Syrian people, the
region, and the world. Thank you again for the opportunity
to discuss this important issue with you. I look forward to
your questions and to consulting with you closely as we
continue our efforts to verifiably eliminate Syria’s
chemical weapons
program.

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